


match met

by stjudeclub



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Other, Reader-Insert, and also very flirty, gender neutral reader, reader's a hacker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2018-10-23 16:26:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10722981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stjudeclub/pseuds/stjudeclub
Summary: If you'd known trying to hack Talon would summon an attractive lady to try and kill you, you'd probably have done it sooner. Probably.





	1. first

**Author's Note:**

> Uh basically I can't really relate to any other Sombra/reader fics on here so I decided to write my own because? I love her and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I tried really hard to make the reader as gender neutral as possible so project away lads. Any way, I'm not the biggest fan of this but this is my account for posting my shitty stuff so I hope at least one person gets a kick out of it. If anyone wants to see it continued (because I know I do), just let me know. Enjoy!

You tap your fingers on your desk impatiently, lifting up the chipped mug sitting next to your keyboard to take a sip of coffee. You promptly spit the coffee out when you realise that it’s been sitting on your desk neglected for the past day and a half. You sigh and wipe the cold, stale coffee off your keyboard with your sleeve, trying to stifle a yawn. You’re exhausted and want nothing more than too just fall asleep in your crappy little bed. You rub your eyes and check your phone, stiffening when you see the time. It couldn’t be 3AM already, could it? You really need to buy an actual clock or something. Living in an attic with the only window completely blacked out made it easy to lose track of time.

 

It certainly didn’t help your eyesight either. You wince as your computer screen suddenly glows a bright white, displaying a single window. Blinking hard, you sit up in your seat and stare at your screen, groaning as you read the message. 

 

‘SCAN FAILED’, it reads, followed by a string of binary that you couldn’t be bothered to decode. This is the fifth time this has happened tonight and you would have given up after the first if it weren’t for the more than modest sum of money your current client offered you to do the job. 

 

You exit the window and shove a USB stick into your computer, saving any data you managed to mine and then sticking it back in your pocket. It’s pretty archaic, using a flash drive in this day and age, but you weren’t taking any chances. This job could potentially get you killed. You needed to be a certain kind of stupid to try and infiltrate Talon of all organisations. “A kind of stupid that’s so stupid it’s actually smart,” your client said as he pitched his offer to you. Desperation helped too. If your client delivers, you won’t have to hide out in this tiny little attic any more. And you’d probably be able to afford some higher end tech too. The computer you found dumped on the side of the road gets the job done, but it would be nice to have a holovid or something that didn’t overheat every two hours at the very least. 

 

You type away at your computer, starting up the scan again and silently praying it’ll work this time. Your eyes glaze over as you watch the progress bar move bit by bit, holding your breath and crossing your fingers as it hits 80%. It passes 80% and you sigh in relief, but then frown as it completely stops again, just like last time. You curse under your breath and slam your head down on your desk. 

 

It’s going to be a long night. 

 

You grab the neglected mug and swirl the cold coffee around as you stare at your screen, willing the progress bar to move. The screen seems to stare back. You shake your head and rub your eyes, before standing up and making your way over to the small sink in the corner of the attic. The whole room seems to shake as you walk and you can hear the tenants underneath grumbling in annoyance through the floorboards. You really need to get out of this place.  _ Desperately _ . And if the only way to do that is by possibly being hunted down by a dangerous terrorist group, then it’s a risk you’re willing to take. Even a tiny interrogation cell would be better than this place.

 

You dump the stale coffee in the sink and turn the faucet on, tapping your foot as you wait for the weak trickle of water to flow so you can rinse your mug out. Even just the soft  _ thud thud thud  _ of your foot on the floor is enough to make the little light above you swing back and forth. The place you had before this one was so much nicer, even though it wasn’t exactly ideal. At least you had a proper set up there. It’s a shame you’d gotten too reckless. If only you’d been a bit more careful… 

 

But you wouldn’t make that mistake again though. You’d sworn off big, risky jobs like that since you went dark, especially anything involving secretive organizations, but with a reward like the one being offered? It was hard to resist. 

 

You rinse your mug out and then fill your old kettle up with water, before setting it down and flicking its switch. As you wait for it to boil, you look back over to your computer, only to see that same damn white screen again. Only this time, there’s no error message. Instead, there’s a glowing, neon purple skull in the middle of your screen. You swear you see something dart by your computer too.

 

“What the fuck?” you mumble, looking around your room before making your way back over to your computer. You slide into your chair, frowning as you try every combination of keys to try and get rid of it. Nothing works. You slam your hands down on your keyboard and groan loudly. It’s probably just a virus you got while pirating movies or something, but it’s an annoyance either way. 

 

Just as you begin to reach down to restart your computer, you feel something cold and metallic press into the back of your head. 

 

“Hey there,” a husky, accented voice says from behind you. You freeze and close your eyes. 

 

You’ve really done it now. 

 

“ _ Great _ ,” you whisper.

 

“You know… I’m actually impressed,” the person says, pressing the tip of their gun harder into your head. It’s definitely a woman, you think, and her accent tells you she’s most likely Mexican. “A little offended too. To think an  _ amateur  _ could bypass  _ my  _ firewalls.” 

 

You roll your eyes, despite your fear. If she’s going to kill you, she needs to get it over with. A lecture on hacking responsibly is the last thing you need right now. You just hope she’s at least somewhat merciful and doesn’t try and drag your inevitable execution out too much. 

 

“Alright, stand up,” she commands. “And keep your hands where I can see them.”

 

You half heartedly raise your hands, hoping she doesn’t notice them shaking slightly. You stand to your feet and wince as she digs her gun into your back, forcing you away from your computer. Then, she turns you around and all you can do is stare at her, in both wonder and disbelief. She doesn’t really look like the kind of person a major terrorist group would send after an ‘amateur’ hacker like you. When you imagined being caught you envisioned a SWAT team or some men in suits dragging you into their black SUV and leaving your body in the desert. This woman looks like she got lost on her way to a cybergoth meetup. You consider making that comment aloud but decide that you’d like to live for at least five minutes more. Evenso, something about her sparks something in you and you can’t put your finger on what exactly it is. 

 

“So I’m guessing purple’s your thing?” you say, trying to break the awkward silence between the two of you. She doesn’t respond, she just keeps staring at you with a smirk on her face and a menacing glint in her eyes. You feel her eyes travel up and down your body and feel somewhat exposed. And slightly ashamed. Where was your cool hacker outfit? All you had was this old, coffee-stained sweater and mismatched socks. 

 

“The purple skull, the purple gun, the eyeshadow… Y’know, not a lot of people could pull off purple lipstick, but it really suits you. Oh, and the purple hair-”

 

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” she says, interrupting your nervous, but sincere, babbling, but her grin only grows wider. She raises an eyebrow as she slowly lowers her gun and steps closer, reaching out to check your pockets. She chuckles once she finds the USB stick and pulls it out. 

 

“Really?” she asks, waving it in front of your face.

 

“Hey, times are tough,” you say defensively. “Not all of us can afford a fancy cybernetic graft.”

 

“And you really tried to hack into  _ Talon  _ with  _ that  _ computer?”

 

“Well, it worked, didn’t it?”

 

Before she can reply, a small  _ ding  _ echoes through the attic and she pauses, raising her gun again. 

 

“Oh, that’s just the kettle,” you explain. “I’d offer you some instant coffee but I only have one mug.” 

 

“ _ ¿En serio? _ ” she says under her breath, shaking her head and laughing. She lowers her gun again and looks around your tiny attic room. “Nice place you got here. Though, you might wanna get a lock for that door.” 

 

“Yeah, probably should...” you say. “Hey uh, can I put my hands down? I swear I don’t have a gun or anything.” 

 

She nods and waves a hand dismissively as she sits down at your computer. “Just don’t try anything stupid,” she warns, looking at you with narrowed eyes. Her glare sends shivers down your spine. It’s a mixture of playful and threatening. You just nod. You weren’t planning on it. This woman looks like she doesn’t even need her gun to end you. 

 

“Hmm, let’s see what you’ve got here,” she says to herself, scrolling through all the files you managed to mine from Talon. “Good thing you’re using this piece of shit… a better model and I might be in trouble.”

 

You can’t tell if she’s being serious or not but laugh nervously regardless. You watch as she presses her hand against your computer’s system unit and a surge of purple runs from her fingertips into your computer, through its wires and up to the screen, before everything goes black. 

 

Including the lights. 

 

“Hah. Sorry about that.” 

 

She’s not sorry, you can tell, but before you can (subtly, of course) express your disdain, the sound of your neighbors yelling from downstairs makes you wince. If she doesn’t kill you, they certainly will.  

 

“They sound nice,” she remarks and you hear her sitting back in your chair and crack her knuckles. 

 

“What the fuck did you do?” you ask, beginning to scramble around your desk for your phone to use as a torch, but the feeling of her gun pressing into your side makes you freeze. 

 

“Sorry,” you mumble, stepping back and holding your hands up again. 

 

“That’s better,” she says and you can almost  _ hear  _ her smirk. The small light bulb in the corner of the room flickers and then comes back on, filling the room with its dim light once again. She pulls her gun away but doesn’t lower it, looking at you in a way that feels more than taunting. “Now then,” she speaks again, gently swaying in your chair. “What do I do with you?” 

 

“Uh… kill me?” 

 

She laughs, louder than her usual little snicker. “I would but…” she stands to her feet and steps closer to you, bringing her hand up to cup your cheek. “Where’s the fun in that?” 

 

You take back everything you said about preferring an interrogation cell over your shitty little attic. Being left to bleed out on the creaky wooden floorboards is  _ much  _ better than being dragged away and tortured by some threatening, but strangely attractive, superior hacker. But it’s  _ Talon.  _ Of course they wouldn’t just kill you. You don’t need to be a hacker to know that.

 

Your eyes swivel, looking for some way to either incapacitate her or at least die trying. She notices and roughly grabs you by the chin, forcing you to look at her. “Well?” 

 

“... Well what?” you ask, staring at her with wide eyes, blushing slightly. Her eyes are really pretty. It’s probably a stupid thing to think about while a woman with a gun is holding your face, but there’s something about them that makes it hard to look away. 

 

“What should I do with you?” she asks again, stepping back and walking back over to your desk. She starts to shuffle through the notes and pages scattered across your desk. Thankfully you didn’t leave anything too revealing on any of them, like your name or social security number. It’s mostly just doodles and reminders and little shopping lists. You may be reckless, but you aren’t stupid. 

 

“Listen,” you begin. “I know you’re probably going to kill me and that’s fine but I honestly didn’t read any of those files. I wasn’t planning on reading any of them either. I…” 

 

You debate on whether or not you should throw your client under the bus. He  _ is  _ the one who wanted the files. You were just doing the dirty work for him. 

 

“You?” she prompts, looking up at you from one of the pages. “Oh, you’re gonna need a way better computer if you’re planning on hacking Vishkar by the way,” she adds, tapping the note. “Believe me.”

 

“Oh, thanks? Anyways, some guy hired me to do it. I don’t know what he wants with them and I don’t care. I was just gonna get the files, hand them over and collect my wages.” 

 

She nods understandingly. “So, this ‘guy’, do I get a name?” 

 

You wonder if you should just go ahead and trade his life for yours. You highly doubt she’ll let you off if you give her his information but it’s worth a shot. You’d definitely have to go dark again to escape any backlash from his gang, but it’s better than being dead. Or indeed, in some tiny interrogation cell. 

 

“There’s a piece of paper in the pocket of my hoodie,” you say, pointing to the clothes pile lying on the floor next to your desk. “It’s got everything you need to know.” 

 

“ _ Gracias _ ,” she winks at you and for some reason you blush. “But you know I can’t let you off that easily.” 

 

“Of course,” you mutter, snorting. “Listen, I don’t have any money but you can take anything you want except my bed and sink. Or me” 

 

She pouts in mock disappointment. “I  _ am  _ the one with the gun, remember.”

 

“And I gave you your guy,” you remind her, smiling. “Besides, I doubt your other terrorist friends are as sweet as you.”

 

She giggles.  _ Giggles _ . That’s enough to make you forgive her for destroying your most valuable possession.

 

The floor shakes as your neighbors bang a broom against your ceiling. You roll your eyes and stomp on the floor in response. “You can take them.”

 

“I’ll pass,” she laughs, spinning around in your chair to pick up the hoodie and root through its pockets. “I think I’ve punished you enough,  _cariño_. I’ll let you off with a warning. Be more careful next time.” 

 

“Well if uh, being a reckless idiot means I get to meet cuties like you then…” You watch as she turns around to shoot you a playful glare and roll her eyes. Score.

 

“So, do I get a name?” you ask, watching as she unfolds the piece of paper and reads it. 

 

“I’m sure you already know the answer to that,” she responds, smirking as she folds the paper back up and slips it inside her jacket. 

 

“Eh, it was worth a shot,” you say, shrugging. 

 

“You can stop with the flattery,” she says as she stands up. “I’m not going to kill you. Unless you’re genuinely trying to flirt with someone who was going to murder you.” 

 

“Maybe I am,” you reply, stepping closer to her.

 

“Cute,” she smiles at you, and though it’s still menacing there’s a hint of something else there too. “I’m glad I didn’t just shoot you earlier. It’d be a real shame to ruin such a pretty face.”

 

“Yeah, me too,” you say, bringing your hands to your cheeks to try and hide your blush. “Y’know, I meant what I said earlier. About your lipstick. It looks good on you.”

 

“Yeah? Maybe I can let you try it on sometime,” she reaches out and gently taps your nose.

 

You laugh and hide your face in your hands, “So it’s a date then?”

 

“I guess it is.”

 

“Sweet,” you say, looking up at her. “Maybe I can get a name next time too.”

 

“Maybe,” she winks at you. “Sorry about your computer by the way. You know how it is.”

 

“It’s no big deal. It was on death’s door any way. You did it a favour.”

 

She snorts. “Well, I’ll be in touch,” she says, walking towards the door. “ _ Adiós.”  _

 

And then she’s gone. She doesn’t even use the door. She just dissipates away and you’d swear you were dreaming if it weren’t for the mess on your desk and the smoke coming from your system unit. You sit down in your chair and hug your knees to your chest, smiling to yourself. You need to get a new computer as soon as possible. 

 

Screw Talon, you need to find out who she is. 


	2. reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your feedback on the last chapter! I'm glad some of you are enjoying this (: This is a bit of a cliffhanger, but don't worry, the next chapter is almost finished. I just wanted to get something out so the wait isn't too long. I hope you all enjoy and let me know any thoughts you have!

Being a hacker is a lot harder when you have no computer to work from. It’s especially hard when hacking is your main source of income. After your encounter with the mysterious Talon agent, your computer was left completely unusable. The woman fried whatever was left of it. You tried everything to get it working again, but it was hopeless. So, you eventually gave up. 

 

Even though it was the worst computer a hacker could own, you feel a tinge of sadness as you throw its remains into the nearby furnace. It was the only thing that kept you both sane and alive over the past few months and it put bread on the table too. You considered taking it to a friend to get it fixed up, but you decided against it. It wasn’t worth the risk. 

 

You spend the next two weeks camping out in the local internet cafe, scouring every ad listing website for any cheap or free to take computers. You did some favors for the owner of the place when you first moved here, so he happily lets you sit at a computer for as long as you want without charging you. You couldn’t be more grateful. You claim a computer in the corner and sit there until even your strongest energy drink can’t stop you from nodding off. 

 

Your small attic room seems darker and emptier with your computer gone. You never realised how little light the one lightbulb in your makeshift “kitchen” produced until you didn’t have a screen to brighten the place up. When you aren’t sleeping or hanging out at your new second home, you sit underneath your dim lightbulb to do some old fashioned research. You scribble down ideas and plans in your notebook, things that you wouldn’t risk researching on a public, unsecured computer. It mostly revolves around the mysterious Talon agent that left you computer-less in the first place. There’s something about her that makes you desperate to know more. Who was she? Why did she let you live? Was she serious about the whole date thing? You really hope so. She  _ is  _ pretty cute.

 

As long as she doesn’t bring that gun.

 

Or any other Talon goons. 

 

But her not killing you is what really plagues your mind. A few nights after your encounter with her, you overhear some people outside the internet cafe talking about the grisly fate your last client met. He was murdered, after being tortured, apparently. His place was ransacked too. Whoever did it left a warning for the surviving members of his gang, but you didn’t hear what that warning was. 

 

You felt a pang of guilt at the time, knowing you were the one who directed her to him. But you felt relieved too, and slightly confused. She  _ should  _ have killed you. Why did she believe you when you said you didn’t read any of the files? For all she knows, you could have been lying. It just doesn’t make sense. Maybe she really does think you’re cute. 

 

After days of refreshing the local ad listing page, you finally come across a free to take PC and claim it immediately, not even bothering to read up on its specs. The ad says it works and that’s all that matters. You pick it up that evening and decline the seller’s offers to help you bring it home. You drag it back to your attic by yourself, nearly breaking your arms trying to carry it up the stairs. You impatiently set it up on your desk and hold your breath as you press the power button, praying it’ll work. The monitor lights up and you sigh in relief, resting your head against its system unit lovingly. You really missed the glow of the screen burning your eyes as you sat in the dark and the loud whirr of the fan drowning out the sounds of the city outside.

 

Once your new computer is set up to your liking and fully secured, you prepare yourself a celebratory mug of coffee and immediately get to researching. With your notebook by your side, you spend the rest of the night searching every variation of “purple skull mexican hacker” until you finally find  _ something _ . A name.

 

Sombra. 

 

That’s what she calls herself. You know it’s just an alias, not just because no hacker uses their real name on such high risk jobs, but that name is way too cool and fitting to be her actual name.

 

You certainly missed out on a lot while you went dark. You’re surprised this is the first you’re hearing about such a high profile hacker. She’s apparently known all over the world, not just on the hacking scene. Around the time you had to disappear, she went on a “Worldwide Hacking Spree”, exposing the CEO of Lumerico and various other big corporations. She seems to have gained the world’s favor; vigilantes and street artists alike. You wonder what an obvious freedom fighter like her is doing working for Talon. From the looks of it, all the hacking she does has the people’s best interest at heart. 

 

_ From the looks of it.  _

 

You can’t find any pictures of her, obviously. Just a few artistic interpretations and her little skull insignia. 

 

And that’s it. 

 

A name, a scandal, a symbol. 

 

It doesn’t satisfy you at all. You mumble to yourself as you jot down your findings in your notebook and then slam it shut, before turning your computer off and heading to bed. You laugh to yourself as you see sunlight filter in through a crack in your makeshift blackout curtain. 

 

You really should invest in a clock. 

 

* * *

 

 

You spend the next week finishing up some jobs, restocking your coffee supply, digging through goodwill for a clock and of course, researching. You spend any free time you get scouring every website and forum for new information about Sombra. You aren’t used to  _ not  _ being able to find the information you want. You certainly aren’t the most tech-savvy hacker, but you aren’t an amateur. The last time a self assigned job gave you this much trouble, you…

 

No, that won’t happen again. This one likes you. You guess she’s probably watching you obsess over her with that stupid smirk on her face, laughing at your lack of skill compared to hers. Part of you wonders if she’s done any research on you. Unfortunately, you’ve never been as elusive as she is. Anyone with the bare basics of hacking could find your information if they tried hard enough. Sombra could pull up everything there is to know about you in a matter of  _ seconds _ . 

 

Part of you hopes she  _ is  _ watching, that she’ll show up behind you again, gun or not, to tell you off. You just want to see her again and you can’t tell why. A sense of pride maybe. That  _ you _ of all people managed to gauge the interest of the world’s most notorious yet unknown hacker and not end up dead in the process.

 

And you do see her again. She shows up unannounced as you’re dozing off at your computer one night.

 

“New set up?” she whispers into your ear, grabbing your shoulders from behind and making you shriek.

 

She puts her hand over your mouth and shushes you, chuckling. “Hey, don’t wake the neighbors,  _ cariño _ .”

 

“You nearly gave me a heart attack,” you gasp as she takes her hand away. You swivel around in your chair and your heart flutters when you see her standing before you again. She’s just as stunning as you remember. She still looks a villain from  _ Tron  _ but it’s growing on you. And this time, she isn’t wielding a gun. You sigh, relieved.

 

“Sombra,” you say, nodding at her with a smile. She looks shocked, raising her eyebrows for a moment, but then she smiles back with her mischievous grin.

 

“Y/N.”

 

“Touché…” You hoped you would have the upper hand this time, but you aren’t surprised. You’d be more shocked if she  _ didn’t _ know your first name.

 

“Y/F/N,” she repeats, a tinge of pride in her voice. “That is your real name, isn’t it?”

 

“Sadly,” you confirm, watching as she begins pacing around your room. “I haven’t picked my cool hacker name yet. Sombra’s pretty cool, a little cliche though.”

 

“I still have my gun, you know.”

 

You shrug and she just laughs.

 

“So, Y/N, what else did you find out about me?” she asks, picking up the book on your makeshift bedside table and flicking through it casually.

 

“The bare minimum, I guess,” you swivel around again to face her. “You’re Sombra, no one knows who you really are, you’re based in Mexico, you like fucking with big corporations, pretty popular amongst freedom fighters and what else… oh yeah, you’re also pretty cute but you don’t need to be a hacker to figure that out.”

 

She looks up at you and rolls her eyes but despite the darkness you swear you see her blush.

 

“So, what do you know about me?” you ask, winking at her.

 

“Well, Y/F/N,” she begins, throwing the book down on the bed. “First of all, you have a terrible taste in books.”

 

You nod. “Fair enough.”

 

“But I did find some very interesting things about you. Apparently, you’re missing, assumed dead. Suspected car accident victim.”

 

‘Shit,’ you think to yourself. ‘How am I gonna get out of this one?’

 

“You seem pretty alive to me, Y/N,” she shoots you a questioning glance and you shrug again.

 

“You don’t need to keep saying my name,  _ Sombra _ . Your pistol thing is already taunting enough.”

 

“Hey, I’m not trying to taunt you. I’m just glad I finally have a name to match such a pretty face.”

 

She catches you off guard and you stare at her, blushing, until you manage to compose yourself. “Oh, uh, me too.”

 

She smiles and walks towards you, pulling her gun out of her jacket. “So, Y/N, what’s with all the death notices? I mean, you don’t look like you’ve been in any car accidents.”

 

You nervously eye her gun and sink further into you chair. “That would be telling, wouldn’t it?”

 

“You know, I have lots of ways of making you tell,” she warns, a hint of seriousness lacing her voice despite her smirk. 

 

“Why’re you so interested?” you manage to ask. Why  _ is _ she so interested? You’re just one person, you’re not part of anything bigger. Why does it matter to her if you’re assumed dead or not?

 

“Because I don’t like not knowing things, Y/N,” she replies. “I’m sure you understand.” 

 

“Y-Yeah, I get you,” you force a small laugh and watch as she steps closer to you, looming over you, her eyes boring into yours. 

 

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” she cautions. 

 

“Okay, okay, listen,” you begin, pushing your chair away from her and getting up. “I got into a bit of trouble when I was digging around where I shouldn’t have, so I had to… y’know, ‘disappear’. That’s all there is to it.”

 

“Define ‘trouble’,” she lowers her gun and begins rummaging through your desk again. You just stand and watch her, defeated.

 

“I don’t want to go into it; i-it was bad, okay?” You tap your foot and start biting your nails as you see her hands pause over your notebook. 

 

“Must’ve been,” she picks it up and your heart drops, “If it made you fake a car crash.”

 

You hold your breath as she flicks through the notebook, trying to mentally prepare yourself for when  _ it   _ happens but there’s nothing you can do. You know that. 

 

Even though it’s dark you can see the page she pauses on. She goes quiet and her face softens, genuine worry filling her eyes. She shakes her head and then looks back up at you, and for a moment, her look of fear matches yours. 

 

“How do you know about this?” she whispers, holding the page up for you to see. Even with her casting a shadow over it, you can see the page as clear as day. 

 

You could recognize that symbol from a mile away. 

 

The eye,  _ their  _ mark, glares back at you, still just as threatening as the day it flashed on your monitor and changed everything. 

 

“How do you know about this?” she repeats, stepping towards you. Despite her furrowed brow and glare, you can still see the fear in her eyes. It’s a bit reassuring, but you don’t lower your guard. 

 

You’ve  _ really   _ done it now. 

  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. next time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW I SUCK! sorry for the really long break, life and finals happened and the time just flew away from me. I've been finding writing a bit of a struggle lately, but I'm starting to get my mojo back. Again, thank you all for your support and love and I really hope you guys enjoy this little chapter.

A surge of energy pulses through the room, making the entire building rattle. Everything goes dark as your computer shuts off and the streetlights outside cut out. 

 

You can make out Sombra’s form in the darkness, the soft glow from her cybernetic implants illuminating her face. Her eyes are wide, her jaw clenched as she points her pistol at you. You instinctively put your hands up and slowly back away from her.

 

“I said, how do you know about… about  _ that _ ?” she repeats through gritted teeth, her voice firm. Even so, you can see the fear in her eyes and notice her hands shaking ever so slightly. 

 

Either this is all genuine or she’s just a really good actor. You suspected Talon was working with  _ Them  _ since the beginning, but if this really is  _ Their  _ way of finally getting rid of you, it’s a weird way to go about it. 

 

“I haven’t got all day,” she hisses, stepping closer to you. 

 

“Okay, okay, they’re the reason I went dark,” you babble. “I’ve got nothing to do with them, I-I swear! I don’t know anything about them I just-”

 

“They… came after you?” she whispers, furrowing her brow as she looks away from you. 

 

“Yeah… they did,” you confirm, bringing your hands down as you back further away from her. 

 

She lowers her gun, shaking her head. “No… no, they couldn’t have, I…” She looks back up at you, her eyes narrowed. “Why?”

 

“What do you mean ‘why’?” 

 

She abruptly raises her gun again, pointing it at you. “Why did they come after you?”

 

You’ve told her too much already. Especially seeing as there’s always a chance she  _ isn’t  _ working with  _ Them _ . But if she is, you really can’t understand why she’s doing this. Why doesn’t she just pull the trigger and end you and move on?  _ They  _ must have better things to be doing than playing cat and mouse with some down-and-out hacker with only a shitty little computer to their name. 

 

Before she can speak again, you sigh and walk towards her. “Okay, you can drop the act,  _ Sombra _ .”

 

“What?” she asks, her voice flat.

 

“Oh come on,” you roll your eyes and force a laugh. If you’re going down, you’re going down with a smile on your face. You won’t give  _ Them  _ the satisfaction you gave  _ Them  _ last time. “You can stop pretending you’re not one of  _ Them _ . I’m not an idiot. Just get it over with and kill me already.”

 

You stand in front of her, your arms spread apart in a small shrug, practically inviting her to shoot you in the chest. She just stares back blankly, opening her mouth and then closing it. You’ve clearly caught her off guard and you can’t help but feel a little proud, but it wears off when she continues to just stare at you, doing nothing.

 

“You think… I work for  _ them _ ,” she eventually says. “Me? I work for  _ them _ ?”

 

“Uh, yeah?”

 

You brace yourself for the oncoming bullets, but instead of firing her gun, she lowers it, laughing.

 

_ Laughing _ .

 

Now it’s your turn to stare at her. 

 

“You think that  _ I, _ ” she gestures to her rather eccentric clothing, “work for  _ them _ ?”

 

You shift around uncomfortably, feeling a little stupid. “So… you don’t?”

 

“You know, I was a little worried there,  Y/N,” she continues, walking over to you and patting your shoulder. “I actually thought that despite the shitty computer and house,  _ you  _ were part of them but…” She looks down at your disheveled clothing (that you were wearing last time she visited, of course), “I think you know what I mean.”

 

You nod, trying to hide your humilated blush. “Well, I feel dumb.”

 

“Don’t worry about it, I get it. But it was cute how you tried to act all brave.”

 

You mutter a thanks as you feel your blush getting worse. The lights suddenly flicker on again and you realise just how close Sombra is standing to you. You also notice with a bit of concern how carelessly she has her pistol just resting on her shoulder, finger still on the trigger. 

 

Her eyes lock with yours and you can see her dark eye makeup is smudged, her bright eyes bloodshot. You look away and reach into your pocket for a tissue. 

 

“Here,” you hand her the crumpled tissue. “Your makeup is a little…”

 

“Oh, thanks, I… my eyes get a little strained in the dark,” she explains, scoffing as she pats the tissue under her eyes. Her hands are still shaking. You consider asking if she’s alright, but she’s spared you twice already. 

 

You try testing your luck in another way, by trying to get what she knows about  _ Them _ out of her. “So, uh, how do  _ you  _ know about… y’know…  _ Them _ ?” you ask in the most casual way someone trying to get information can. 

 

She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, beginning to pace around your room again. “You seem nice and all, Y/N, but you know I can’t trust you.”

 

She has a point. You  _ still  _ don’t fully trust her, but you’re willing to take the risk. Not only could she give you some answers about who came after you, but she’s pretty cute too. You’d be happy with even just one date, even if it ended with her revealing herself as  _ Their  _ leader and shooting you point blank in the head. 

 

“Aw come on,  _ Sombra _ . I told you how I know them. You gotta be fair.” 

 

She looks at you and smirks. “I’m not a big fan of playing fair,  _ Y/N _ .”

 

“I’ll make you coffee if you tell me,” you offer, smiling at her. She rolls her eyes at you but smiles back. 

 

“Wow, you’ve really given me an offer I can’t refuse,” she winks at you and twirls her gun around in her hand. “You’re lucky you’re so cute.” 

 

She kicks over the notebook she dropped earlier on the floor,  _ that  _ page still open. “Same as you. Messing around where I shouldn’t have been. Took over my whole system, and then I was gone.” 

 

“What were you researching?” you ask, again: as casually as you can. While you want to make this seem like a Hackers Anonymous meeting, you  _ do  _ need more information. You aren’t stupid enough to try and use it against her but information is information. She doesn’t reply and you feel her watching you as you stand at the kitchen sink and fill up your kettle. 

 

You clear your throat and she sighs, pacing over to the “kitchen”. “Like I said, Y/N, I was just like you.”

 

You look over your shoulder at her and mouth ‘Overwatch’. She just nods. 

 

“I see,” you say as you boil the kettle. “Do you know if they’ve gone after anyone else?”

 

“Nope. You’re the only other one I’ve met. Hopefully it stays that way.”

 

You can feel her standing right behind you now, her breath warm against the nape of your neck. It makes you shiver. You wonder if this will be the last time you see her, or if this one similarity will bring you closer. You hope it does.

 

And not just because she’s hot. 

 

For the first time since you disappeared, you don’t feel alone. Someone else gets it, even if that someone else has a big gun and can appear out of nowhere. If feels nice to know you aren’t the only one they’re hunting down. You just hope this isn’t the last time you’ll feel like this. 

 

“Well, I hope you like your coffee black, because I haven’t bought milk since I was 15,” you say, breaking the silence as you pour the hot water into your mug. 

 

“Still only have one mug?” 

 

“Hey, give me a break. Thanks to you, I’ve been practically jobless for the past two weeks,” you joke, spooning some instant coffee into the mug. 

 

“I guess I’ll just have to bring my own cup next time,” she says before sauntering off over to your computer.

 

Your chest flutters and you pray she isn’t just joking. “Don’t forget the lipstick, too. You said you’d let me try some on last time.” 

 

She looks over at you and giggles. Your chest flutters again.

 

You pick up the mug and carry it over to her. “What’re you doing to my PC this time?”

 

“Just making sure it’s safe. It’s the least I can do, seeing as I fried your last one,” she takes the mug from you and takes a sip, but immediately grimaces and sets the mug down. “Fuck, that’s strong. How the hell do you drink this?”

 

“You get used to it,” you say, watching her type so fast that you have a hard time keeping up with what she’s doing. 

 

“I’ll have to bring you some coffee from the coffee machine back at Talon next time. It’s not the best but it’s better than that shit you call coffee.”

 

“I  _ told  _ you, I’m not rich,” you laugh, but you scoot a little closer to her and continue, “But… there will be a next time, right?”

 

She looks at you and smirks, cocking her head to the side. “Of course. There’s a lot more I wanna know about you, Y/F/N. And you are very cute.” She gently taps the tip of your nose again before finishing up with your computer. 

 

“Good- I mean, there’s more I want to know too… about  _ Them _ , of course.”

 

“Aw, what about me?” she says, pouting. 

 

“I have a feeling you’re not going to tell me much more about yourself, Sombra,”  you reply, reaching out and shyly tapping her nose. 

 

She snorts and leans back in the chair. “Maybe you just need to do a little more research,” she says, tapping your nose back as she stands up.

 

“I’ll see what I can do,” you slide into your chair and turn around to watch as she makes her way to the door. 

 

“Nice seeing you again,  _ Y/N _ . I’ll be in touch.”

 

“You too,  _ Sombra _ ,” you wink at her. “And don’t forget that lipstick next time.”

 

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” she reaches for the door handle, but pauses, smirking again. “For now though,” she continues, now walking over to you. “I’m sure it’ll make a cute blush on you.”

 

You freeze up as she leans down, quickly pecking your cheek. You stare up at her and smile, reaching your hand up to brush your fingers over where her lips were. She looks away from you, but she’s smiling too. 

 

“See you later.”

 

You nod, your voice barely a whisper as you say goodbye. 

 

And then, just like last time, she’s gone again. Disappearing into thin air. You turn back to face your computer, hiding your face in your hands as you laugh to yourself. You’ve certainly gotten yourself into another mess, but what a wonderful little mess it is. 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, a little stumped on where to go from here. If you guys want another chapter(s?) or whatever, just let me know. I'd love to do like Sombra and Reader fight the Big Bad (and then get married), but it's honestly up to you guys (the reader!). So I mean, if there's anything you want to see specifically or if you just want me to keep on going, just throw me a comment. Thanks as always!


	4. saint

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for all your lovely comments! I've taken some of your suggestions on board so hopefully you should be seeing those in coming chapters (: Sorry about the big gaps between updates, I've been busy with family stuff and such. Hope this longer chapter was worth the wait and thank you for your ongoing support!

“Hey, wake up.”

 

You open your eyes and squint at the dark figure looming over you, before groggily pulling your blanket back over your head in an attempt to ignore them shaking your shoulders.

 

“I don’t have any money,” you mumble, scooting across your bed away from them. “Downstairs keep their money under their mattress.” Your landlord promised he put a better lock on the front door after the last robbery but he clearly hadn’t gotten around to it yet. You keep your eyes closed and pray they leave you alone. 

 

“What? No, it’s me, Y/N. Your new  _ amiga _ ?” 

 

“Sombra?” You pull the blankets back down and roll over. Sure enough, there she is, kneeling beside your bed with a huge grin on her face. You prop yourself up on your elbow and rub your eyes. “What time is it?”

 

“It’s 4PM,” she says, standing up and drawing back your blackout blinds.

 

“Fuck,” you groan and shield your eyes, taking refuge under your blanket again. “It’s too early for this shit,  _ friend _ .”

 

“C’mon,” she gently kicks you. “I have a surprise for you.”

 

“In a minute.”

 

“I brought you coffee.”

 

You poke your head out of your blankets and stare at her. “ _ Real  _ coffee?”

 

She nods, holding up a paper cup.

 

“You’re a saint,” you say, throwing your blankets off as you sit up and walk over to her.

 

“It’s just coffee,” she says, laughing as she hands you the cup.

 

You take a sip and let out a content sigh.  “You have no idea how long it’s been since I had  _ real  _ coffee. Also, I think this is the first time you’ve greeted me with something other than a gun. Thanks.” 

 

“No problem,” she winks at you. “Is it good?” 

 

“It’s amazing, where’d you get it?” 

 

“My ‘boss’ has a coffee machine in his office, it’s way better than the shit they have in the kitchen. Or that crap you call coffee.” 

 

You snort. “Once I get myself a better computer, then I’m splurging on a Nespresso machine or something. I don’t think I can go back to drinking my usual shit after this.” 

 

“Well, actually, I have another little surprise for you,” Sombra says, smiling as she points behind you to where your desk is. 

 

You stiffen and stare at her. “Sombra, if you blew up my computer again, I swear to-” You freeze once you turn around. “Is that…”

 

“A new computer?” She stands beside you and rests her elbow on your shoulder. “Yeah, I still felt a little bad about breaking your last one so I thought I’d make it up to you.” 

 

Your eyes widen and you stare at her, unable to hide your smile. “No way, you… you really didn’t have to, I mean-” 

 

“Shush,” she puts a finger to your lips, but looks away, still grinning. You swear you can see a light blush spread across her cheeks. “I’m just letting it finish setting up, then it should be ready.” 

 

“You really  _ are  _ a saint.” You sit down at your desk and run your fingers over the new system unit. “By the way… where’d you get it? I’m not gonna have any angry terrorists coming after me looking for their computer back, am I?” 

 

“Don’t worry about it. It was about to be scrapped but it works just fine and it’s better than what you had. I just thought I’d fix it up a bit and make up for what I did to your last one.” 

 

“Wow, I’ll finally be able to browse the web  _ and  _ use a word processor at the same time!” you marvel and smile when you hear her snort. “Seriously though, thanks a lot. I’ll have to repay you somehow.”

 

“I  _ said _ , don’t worry about it,” she says as she leans against your desk and looks down at you. “Also, you might wanna invest in a better lock for your door. I didn’t even have to  _ try _ to break in this time.”

 

“How’d you get the computer up here without anyone seeing you though?” You take another sip of coffee and then furrow your brow. “Actually, how long _ have _ you been here? Like, before you woke me up.” 

 

She shrugs. “Couple hours. I was gonna wake you earlier but you just looked so cute.”

 

“Seriously, Sombra,” you mutter as you dodge her trying to tap your nose. 

 

She sniggers as she hops down from your desk and pats your head. “Looks like that’s finished setting up, let me sit down and just make sure everything’s in check.”

 

You get up and take her place at the edge of the desk while she sits down in your chair. “Alright, let’s see,” she taps her fingers on the desk before typing in some commands, before pausing and letting out an irritated sigh. “Ugh, your wifi sucks.”

 

“Hey, it’s not  _ my  _ wifi, I’m using the office across the street’s router.” 

 

“Of course you are,” she mutters, rolling her eyes with a smirk, “Here, I’ll connect it to this.” She pulls her gun out of her jacket and then types in some more line of code. “There we go.”

 

“Woah, woah, wait, what did you just do?” you ask, leaning in to get a better look at the monitor. 

 

“Oh, I just connected it to my gun, it’s got a much better connection.”

 

“Your gun has wifi,” you state, staring at her. 

 

“Well, of course,” she replies, shrugging. 

 

You just shake your head in disbelief and then continue reading what’s on the screen. “What are you doing now?” 

 

“Installing better firewalls.”

 

“You don’t have to do that, mine are just fine-” 

 

“No, they’re not,” she says, glancing at you. “It took me less than a minute to bypass them when you got into Talon’s network. Besides, you’re gonna need better security now that we’re working together.” 

 

You pause mid-sip and nearly spit your coffee out. “Working…  _ together _ ?” you repeat. “Since when? I mean I don’t mind but…” 

 

“Well, we’re both in on  _ that _ ,” she says as she continues to type. “As far as I know, you’re the only other person they’ve caught that’s lived to tell the tale. You can’t solve this by yourself.”

 

“Who said I wanted to ‘solve’ it?”

 

She points to the notebook without looking up from the screen. “It’s only a matter of time before they track you down again,  _ cariño _ , and you know it. They aren’t stupid; they know you’re not dead, they know I’m not dead and they know we’re both trying to find out what they want.” 

 

You don’t respond. She’s right, but you’re still weary. All research you’ve done up until now on  _ Them  _ has always lead to Talon somehow, and if she’s truly one of their other victims, you can’t understand why she’d work so close to them, let alone  _ with  _ them. 

 

She looks up at you expectantly. “Well?” 

 

“I dunno, I mean… how can I trust you?” you ask, lowering your voice. “You work for Talon, for all I know you could-”

 

“Be one of them?” She shakes her head and chuckles. “We’ve been through this,  _ amigo/a _ . I’m in the same boat as you.”

 

“Then why are you… y’know… working with them. You read my notes obviously, and I’m sure your research came to the same conclusion. They’re pretty close to  _ Them _ , aren’t you worried?” 

 

“Okay, listen,” she sighs and then looks around before removing a small communicator from her ear. She grabs you by your shirt and pulls you close, lowering her voice. “I’m only working for Talon to get information out of them. They’re obviously both connected, but everything I researched about it came to a dead end, so I decided to get inside to find out more. Satisfied?” 

 

You nod, your heart fluttering at the sudden close proximity. She just stares at you.

 

“You’re wearing a different lipstick today,” you say in an attempt to break the awkward silence. “It’s darker. I like it.”

 

“You really are lucky you’re so cute,” she says as she lets go of your shirt and leans back in her seat. “So, what do you say then?”

 

“I believe you,” you say, sitting on your desk again.  “Sorry for being so paranoid”

 

“It’s okay; I know how it is. I still don’t fully trust  _ you  _ either.”

 

You smile at her understandingly. “But still, aren’t you scared they’ll find you easier if you’re part of Talon?” 

 

“A little, but I don’t plan on sticking around for long. Especially now that I’ve found you.” 

 

“Me?” 

 

She nods. “Once I’ve got what I need from Talon, I’ll do another little disappearing act and then move on and then you can work with me for a while.” 

 

You still aren’t sure if this is really what you want to do, but then again, there isn’t much else you _can_ do. You either try to do this alone, fail, die; let  _ Them _ find you, die;  _ or  _ accept her offer. Something tells you not going solo on this mission increases your chances of living significantly. 

 

Especially if you work with a hacker as skilled as her. 

 

Of course, it’ll increase your chances of dating her significantly too. 

 

“Alright, I guess we can team up.” Your chest flutters again when you see her face light up. “But what do you plan on doing?”

 

“Exactly what you’ve been doing. Research, until we find out who  _ They  _ are and what  _ They  _ want.”

 

“And then?”

 

She looks at you and just shrugs. “I haven’t thought that far ahead. I’m not that into planning. We’ll see how it goes.”

 

“Sounds like my kind of plan.” You lean in to see what she’s doing on the computer. “What’s that?”

 

“Secure chat client. We need some way of communicating when we’re away from each other,” she explains as she types. “Only call or video chat me if it’s an emergency, okay?” 

 

You nod. 

 

“Alright, I’m done here,” she says, standing up. “If you have any problems with it, let me know.”

 

“Thanks again,” you say as you sit down at your new computer. “It really means a lot. You can stay and make yourself a coffee if you want.” 

 

“I’m good,” she scoffs and then waves dismissively. “Be quiet for a minute.” 

 

You watch as she puts her communicator back in her ear, flinching once she turns it on. You can hear an angry voice on the other end. 

 

“Alright, alright, cool it, Gabe,” she mutters, rolling her eyes at you. You flash her a sympathetic smile. “Well how was I supposed to know? No one told me- What? Okay fine, I’ll be there soon. Yeah, yeah, whatever, see ya.” 

 

She takes her hand away from her ear and sighs. “I gotta go, work stuff.” 

 

“Aw,” you pout in mock disappointment, but you are a little sad that she’s leaving so soon again. “I’ll see you out.” 

 

“Who said chivalry is dead,” she mutters, chuckling as you walk her to the door. 

 

“It’s the least I can do after  _ that _ ,” you say, gesturing towards your new PC. “And the coffee too, of course.” 

 

“I’ll bring more coffee next time. I’ll see if we have any old locks lying around too.” 

 

You laugh and shake your head. “So, you’ll stay in touch?” 

 

“Of course,” she says, leaning against the door. “We’re a team now, right?” 

 

“Right.” You watch as she opens the door, turning around to give you a little wave. 

 

“I’ll see you around then.” 

 

She pauses for a moment, long enough for you to reach in a give her a quick kiss on the cheek, before stepping back and staring at the ground. 

 

You can’t tell if that was incredibly smooth, or incredibly stupid. 

 

Sombra is just staring at the wall, her fingers grazing over her cheek. You relax when you see the small smile on her face. 

 

“F-For last time,” you say, nodding at her. 

 

“Sure,” she says, scoffing. “ _ Adiós. _ ”

 

The door slams and she’s gone again. Not as dramatic as her previous departures, but you’re alone again either way. 

 

You lean against the door and smile to yourself, sighing contentedly. Despite the quietness of your room, for once, you don’t feel all that lonely. 

  
  
  
  



	5. SCR255746

**_r534080 is online._ **

**_s758622 is online._ **

  
  


...

 

_ r534080 is typing… _

 

_... _

 

_... _

 

s758622: you alive? 

s758622: you’ve been typing for like 7 mins 

 

r534080: Yeah

r534080: I’m alive

r534080: You?

 

s758622: same here

s758622: so are you writing me a novel or something lol

s758622: didn’t think you missed me THAT much :* 

 

r534080: Kettle boiled while I was typing

 

s758622: mhm :) 

s758622: what’s up then

 

r534080: Just wanted to say hi

r534080: It’s been awhile 

 

s758622: yeah ): 

s758622: i’ve been busy with work 

s758622: you know how it is 

 

r534080: Were you in Venice? Saw Talon was there on the news.

 

s758622: yea

s758622: perks of working with a terrorist org. 

s758622: it was nothing special though. 

s758622: i see you’re back working

 

r534080: Are you spying on my PC

 

s758622: of course not ; ) 

 

r534080: Sombra. :/ 

 

s758622: kidding

s758622: saw your ad on deep web 

s758622: we really need to get you a better hacker name

 

r534080: Any spare ones lying around Talon?

 

s758622: i’ll have a look

 

_ r534080 is typing. _

 

_ … _

 

_ … _

 

s758622: y/nnnnnn

s758622: did your kettle boil again 

 

…

 

…

 

s758622: y/n? 

 

r534080: I was just wondering

r534080: just because I don’t really feel safe discussing

r534080: ykw

r534080: here

r534080: Do you wanna come over sometime? 

r534080: Or we could go out somewhere

r534080: to discuss stuff

r534080: research

r534080: exchange notes 

 

s758622: so like a date? 

 

r534080: I guess

r534080: if you want to of course 

r534080: IK you’re busy 

 

s758622: i’d love to :* 

s758622: I’m free tonight if you are 

s758622: and I’m in the area 

 

r534080: Yeah I’m free

r534080: We can go to a library near my place. It’s quiet and no one really goes there

r534080: And it’s less cramped than my apartment 

 

s758622: how romantic <3

s758622: this place? 

 

**_s758622 has sent an image. Click to download._ **

 

_ … _

 

r534080: Yeah that’s it

r534080: What time suits you? 

 

s758622: 6? 

s758622: pm. or will you still be asleep then? 

 

r534080: Haha 

r534080: That works for me 

r534080: There’s a desk in the far left corner of the library. It’s beside the sports books. Meet me there. 

 

s758622: k 

s758622: so it’s a date then ;) 

 

r534080: It’s a date 

r534080: One more thing though 

 

s758622: ? 

 

r534080: Can you bring me more of that coffee? 

 

s758622: i can’t though

s758622: no food or drink in the library y/n >:( 

 

r534080: Oh fuck off

 

s758622: jk

s758622: i will <3 

 

r534080: So I’ll see you then? 

 

s758622: yep

s758622: i have your number, i’ll let you know if anything comes up. 

 

r534080: Of course you have my number. 

r534080: I need to finish a job off. See you at 6.

 

s758622: byyeeeeee

 

**_r534080 has left the chat._ **

 

**_s758622 has left the chat._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for lack of activity! I've just been struggling with writer's block. I know exactly what I want to write but I can't seem to get it out, so here's just a little hint at what the next chapter is. It's sooo nearly done, expect it by Thursday at the very latest. Thanks for being so patient with me.


	6. chicken soup for the hacker's soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Christ, it's been a while! Sorry for the wait everyone, but life just kept throwing shit at me and I've been finding it hard to get time to write. I recently became a (very proud) single parent, after finding out I was expecting 2 days after I posted the last chapter! It's been a bit of a struggle, especially with baby's father not being around and all the legal stuff that comes with that, so I hope you can forgive me for my absence. So, thanks for being so patient with me, hopefully things work out so I have more time to write. Enjoy!

You get to the library an hour early.

 

Partially so you can mentally prepare yourself; this  _ is  _ the first date you’ve gone on for a long time and while it’s a lot more casual than the traditional date, you still feel nervous. You just can’t believe you actually had the guts to ask her out.

 

And partially because you were basically chased out of the house after you almost had a physical altercation with your neighbor about the shower schedule. You’ll have to make sure you don’t meet him on the stairs for next week or so. 

 

You find the quiet spot in the library you agreed to meet her at and set yourself up at one of the desks. It’s nicely hidden in a corner between the self help and sports fanatic books with no windows, just a dim fluorescent light overhead. You sit down, grabbing a random book and pretending to read it to look a little less weird. You pull your hood up and keep your head down.

 

After while, you hear someone walking towards you through the bookcases. You slowly turn around, smiling when you see Sombra. She looks a bit more normal this time; a nice pair of skinny jeans and a black shirt, though her jacket is adorned with zippers and her cybernetics are still on display.

 

And of course, she’s wearing the same purple lipstick she wore the night you met her.

 

“What’re you reading?” she asks once she’s closer to you, looking at the book over your shoulder.

 

“‘Dunno, I just picked it up.” 

 

She grabs the books off you and looks at the cover, laughing.

 

“‘Chicken Soup for the Golfer’s Soul’,” she reads. “You really  _ do  _ have a shit taste in books.”

 

“I couldn’t find any ‘Chicken Soup for the Hacker’s Soul’. I think I saw one for terrorist’s though, you might want to take a look at that.”

 

She giggles and ruffles your hair as she sits down next to you. 

 

“Cute outfit,” you comment as she pulls a laptop out of her bag and sets it up. “I was starting to feel a little self conscious, y’know? I  _ still  _ don’t have a cool hacker outfit  _ or  _ name.”

 

“Aw, don’t worry about it,” she pulls at your hoodie. “The oversized hoodie and pants is the standard uniform of the amatuer hacker.” 

 

You frown at her but laugh when she gives you her signature wink. “Uh, by the way, didn’t you say you were bringing me coffee?” 

 

“I told you, Y/N, no food or drink in the library,” she says, smiling. “Librarian took it off me as I walked in.” 

 

“Seriously?” 

 

“Yeah, and I didn’t feel like arguing with her and getting kicked out. Wouldn’t want to miss our big date.” 

 

You sigh, shaking your head. “I almost miss living a life where I’d forgotten what real coffee tastes like. It makes stomaching that instant shit a lot harder.” 

 

“Look, I’ll buy you a coffee afterwards, okay?” she says, reaching over to pat your head. “I know it’s hard, being up past your bedtime.” 

 

“I swear to God, Sombra,” you mutter, playfully elbowing her. “Just open the damn laptop and let’s get some work done.” 

 

“Alright, alright. Did you bring your little diary thing?” 

 

“Yep,” you pull your notebook out of your bag and put it down on the table. “I’ve kinda hit a wall, I was hoping you’d be able to help me tie up some of the loose ends.” 

 

“I’ll take a look now,” she opens up her laptop and types away at her keyboard, pulling up some windows and tabs. “Fuck.” 

 

“What?” 

 

“Why’s the library wifi got such tight security?” she asks. You can see her try to hide her little smile. “I’ve seen banks with weaker security than this.” 

 

You snigger. “And I’m the amateur? Here, let me take a look at it. There’s a knack to it.” You get up and reach around her, resting your chin on her shoulder as you type in some lines of code. 

 

“Y’know, I have a feeling you know exactly how to bypass some shitty firewall,” you mumble as you work, smirking.

 

“Well, _you_ certainly weren’t just going to make the first move,” she says, turning her head to smile at you. “It took you ten minutes to just send me a hello earlier.” 

 

“I told you, my kettle boiled,” you say as you finish bypassing the firewall. “And I’m more than capable of making the first move, thank you very much.” 

 

“Oh really?” 

 

You stay there for a moment, your arms still around her with your fingers resting on her keyboard. 

 

Is she challenging you?

 

She's definitely challenging you.

 

She stares at you, one eyebrow raised as you ever so slowly lean in a little closer, until something makes you press your lips against hers in a very clumsy kiss. It’s an awkward angle and an awkward situation, but you make it work for a minute until your embarrassment gets the better of you and you pull away, returning to your seat just as quick. 

 

Neither of you say anything for a while. You keep your gaze fixed to the graffiti on the desk but you can hear Sombra trying to stifle a laugh and it makes you start to laugh as well. 

 

“Was that your first kiss, Y/N?” she asks as she continues typing. You roll your eyes and sigh, sitting up and scooting closer to her. 

 

“Of course not. It’s just been a while. You don’t get much action when you’re pretending to be dead.” 

 

“Whatever you say, _cariño_ ,” she pauses and looks at you, giggling. “Purple does look really cute on you though.” 

 

You stare at her for a moment, eyes narrowed, until you realize what she means and quickly wipe your mouth with your sleeve. “Ever hear of liquid lipstick?” 

 

“Oh, don’t worry, I always take it off _before_ I move onto the rest of you,” she says, so matter-of-factly that it takes a moment for you to fully get it. 

 

“I appreciate it,” you say, trying to hide your blush as you open your notebook and leaf through the pages. “Anyways, about ‘you know who’, I was wondering if you’ve come across these names before.” 

 

“Hmm, let’s see,” she takes the notebook and reads over it, typing a few things and then nodding. “Yeah, wouldn’t really have them as my first priority though. They’re definitely involved, but they aren’t pulling the strings, if you know what I mean.” 

 

You spend the next hour or so exchanging notes, until you’re both fully caught up on everything to do with Them. You jot down some names to research later and she helps you expand on some of the leads you were chasing, until the conversation shifts away from scary government conspiracies to other, more mundane things. She tells you more about Talon and its strange assortment of characters, you tell her about your neighbors and some of the weirder jobs you’ve done in the past few months. Although she clearly leads the more exciting life, you’re thankful that being hunted down by some shady organization is the biggest of your worries. You don’t get how Sombra can be so relaxed knowing as much as she does. She really doesn’t come across as the terrorist type. 

 

“So, what are you gonna do after Talon?” 

 

“Dunno,” she says, shrugging. “Depends on what information I get and when. They might find me out sooner than I expect and I’ll have to go dark again and find some other way of getting what I need. If they don’t, I’ll just stick around until I have what I want and then go.” 

 

“Do you want to leave?” you ask as you doodle in the margins of your notebook. 

 

She pauses, biting her lip. “Yeah, yeah I do. Gabe and Widow are fun to piss off, but there’s more to life than sitting around in an underground bunker working as a pawn for a bunch of know-it-alls. What about you?”

 

You stop and look up at her. “What about me?” 

 

“What are your plans?” she turns in her chair, looking away from her screen.

 

“I try not to think too much about the future. I’m just taking each day as it comes,” you say, forcing a laugh. “It makes life much more exciting. What’s it gonna be today? A new leak in my ceiling? A new brand of bread at the store? Going on a date with a terrorist who was sent to kill me only a month ago? You just never know what’s going to happen.” 

 

She snorts.

 

“Besides, it all depends on what happens with Them. I mean, if they don’t kill me, then what?” you look to her expectantly, but you aren’t sure she has the answer either. 

 

“We’ll burn that bridge when we get to it,” she flashes you a reassuring smile and reaches over to ruffle your hair. “We’ve still got a long way to go.” 

 

“Yeah, you’re right,” you say as you lean back in your chair to stretch, looking over at the clock on the wall. “I think I’m all researched out, Sombra. Shall we call it a night?” 

 

“Sounds good to me, I’ve got everything I need for now,” she closes her laptop and checks her watch. “You still want that coffee?” 

 

“I  _ always  _ want coffee,” you correct her and she laughs. “The store is a five minute walk away from here and they have a coffee machine there. It’s no Talon barista-style coffee but it gets the job done.” 

 

“I promise I’ll bring you some next time, just don’t pick the library again, okay?” 

 

As you both stand up, you pause. You watch as she packs up her laptop and slings her bag over her shoulder, smirking at you as her eyes lock with yours. You hesitate as she gestures for you to go ahead of her, cursing yourself for being so damn awkward as you step in front of her. She stands there expectantly, until you manage to lean in and kiss her again, with a little more vigor this time. She freezes up for a moment, but you feel her smile into the kiss as she wraps her arms around your waist and pulls you closer, taking the lead. She pushes your back against a bookcase and deepens the kiss and you’re shy to reciprocate as you reach up to puts your arms around her neck. Eventually, she pulls back, giving you a quick peck on your cheek as she steps away. You reach up to poke at your slightly swollen lips and smile to yourself.

 

That really just happened. You feel giddy as you stand there, dazed, staring at the off-white wall in front of you.

 

“Well?” she stands in front of you, hands on her hips. “Do you want coffee or not?” 

 

“Oh, s-sure,” you scramble to pack your bag up and then scurry off after her, out of the library.


End file.
